Principles of Operation

Parking Aid

Principles of Operation

NOTE: The Smart Junction Box (SJB) is also known as the Generic Electronic Module (GEM).

The parking aid sensors detect objects approximately 152 cm (60 in) from the rear of the vehicle, 50 cm (1.6 ft) from the rear side of the vehicle, and 16 cm (6 in) above the ground. The Parking Aid Module (PAM) calculates the distance to an object within the 170 degree semicircular area around the rear of the vehicle. A variable rate warning tone is generated from a parking aid speaker which is integral to the PAM (Parking Aid Module). The parking aid speaker increases the warning tone rate as the vehicle gets near an obstacle. When an object is detected within 25 cm (10 in) of the sensors, the warning tone becomes continuous.

The rear parking aid system is enabled when the ignition switch is in the RUN position and the REVERSE (R) gear is selected. The parking aid system can be disabled with a control in the Instrument Cluster (IC) message center. The parking aid system is disabled if a fault is detected in any of the sensors, the parking aid speaker or the PAM (Parking Aid Module). This condition is indicated by the parking aid disabled warning in the message center. The PAM (Parking Aid Module) communicates on the High Speed Controller Area Network (HS-CAN) and can be diagnosed with a scan tool.

The PAM (Parking Aid Module) communicates with the scan tool, the SJB (Smart Junction Box), the Audio Control Module (ACM) and the IC (Instrument Cluster) on the Medium Speed Controller Area Network (MS-CAN).

Active Park Assist System

The active park assist system detects available parking space and automatically steers the vehicle in the parking space without the driver touching the steering wheel. The driver controls the accelerator, transmission selection and the vehicle brakes. The system visually and/or audibly instructs the driver throughout the procedure to safely park the vehicle. The PAM (Parking Aid Module) controls the active park assist system. The system uses 2 long range ultrasonic sensors that are hardwired to the PAM (Parking Aid Module) to detect the available parking space for the vehicle. The PAM (Parking Aid Module) uses the HS-CAN (High Speed Controller Area Network) to send and receive network messages to control the active park assist system. Refer to Active Parking Assist for active park assist information.

Network Communication

NOTE: Both the MS-CAN (Medium Speed Controller Area Network) and the HS-CAN (High Speed Controller Area Network) are used for intermodule communication. A gateway message is transferred from one network to another network through the Instrument Cluster (IC). For a complete list of Controller Area Network (CAN) multiplex messages, refer to Information Bus.

Parking Aid Module (PAM) Network Communication Messages